Renault has worked wonders with the Twingo small car so that the new version now gets four doors, a new engine range and some novel features to make it one of the most economical small cars around. The Twingo is pitched as a city car but in Ireland, as cities are never too far away from the country, your small car has to be adaptable too. That was the Twingo test and I found it testing on both man and car.

This is a small car with economy the priority. There are a few things that you have to get used to with the new Twingo. The first is that the engine is in the boot. Renault has designed a new three-cylinder petrol engine for the Twingo, put it at a 45° angle and tucked it under the boot floor.The result is a lively engine that takes some revving on the open road, but it’s a compact and thrifty little car. The side effect is that the front feels lighter and that was noticeable when driving on motorway stretches as the side wind impact from vans and trucks, even bigger cars, was noticeable.

You’ll also notice that the car is rear-wheel drive. I don’t expect any problems with traction, even in the snow because the drive is weighted by the engine in the rear. And Renault claims that the electronic stability control overcomes any possibility of a rear-wheel skid in slippery conditions. But you need to prepare for a lighter steering sensation. My advice is if you are going to drive a Twingo, stay under a 100km/hr speed limit.

ADVERTISEMENT

The plus side of a lighter front end is easier steering and manoeuvring at parking and a very compact car that’s shorter than two cars that I drove recently and could compare it with: the Hyundai i10 and Suzuki Celerio, the latter of which has had some recall issues.

On the economy front, the new Twingo is rated at 22.2km/litre (4.5l/100km or 63 mpg), but my actual driving performance was about 35% less. That’s because I had longer runs with the engine revving higher to achieve close to 100km/hr on the open road. The CO2 rating is also low at 105g/km, giving road tax in band A3 of €190 per year. That’s also competitive with other small cars, even if there is just a €10 difference in some cases.

The Twingo feels light and the foot well is tight. This is not a car to drive with work boots on. And there was some noticeable road noise from the Dunlop tyres.

I liked the new smartphone-operated R & GO system which easily linked into my iPhone for both telephone calls and Google Maps. The system has a neat cradle and a free-to-download app to give access to navigation, telephone, multimedia and trip computer functions.

The car is well fitted out and all versions come with body-coloured bumpers, door handles and exterior door mirror shells, a rear spoiler and LED daytime running lights. It has electric power steering, electric front windows, remote central locking, a speed limiter, a height-adjustable steering wheel, a trip computer and gear change indicator, a lane-change function for the indicators and the automatic activation of the rear screen wiper when reverse gear is selected – all as standard. The boot is tight and there is no spare wheel as there’s simply no room for one. To check the engine oil you have to remove six bolts from the boot floor – a sizeable job. The windscreen washer top-up is in the front.

The new Twingo comes with the Euro NCAP four-star award. The safety equipment includes electronic stability control, hill start assist, emergency brake assist and four airbags as well as front and rear headrests and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

Entry prices are high for the Twingo at €13,990 (£9,495 in NI). That’s €2,000 more than the entry level Hyundai i10 and Suzuki Celerio.

This is car that’s destined for city driving and that’s where it needs to stay. It needs careful driving with its lightweight design and light front end, and I found that open rural roads are not part of its comfort zone.

Renault Twingo

Engine 1.0-litre petrol

Engine power 70bhp

0-100km/hr 14.5 seconds

Economy 22.2km/litre

Fuel tank capacity 35 litres

CO2 emissions 105g/km

Road tax A3 (€190)

Main service 20,000km

Euro NCAP rating Four stars

Warranty Five years

Entry price €13,990

NI price £9,495